Know Your Own Power – Book Review

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Know Your Own Power: Inspiration, Motivation and Practical Tools For Life

by Dr Radha Modgil

Flawless Victory

Life is life, with all its chaos and tranquility, with all its "good" and "bad". Crises, challenges, and changes are bound to strike us at some point in our lives and we can feel frustrated, depressed, despondent, down in the dumps... You have come to a dead end, and it is as if your world is crumbling, burying you deep under the rubble and leaving you utterly helpless. Dr Radha Modgil wants you to know that this is NOT the case. You can rise up, go through those life dynamics, and end up conquering life as your true self.

Know Your Own Power by Dr Radha Modgil is an absolutely wonderful gift for humanity, for those facing hardships and hurdles in life. She writes passionately, affectionately, and empathetically, and I could really feel that Dr Radha deeply cares about the readers. Divided into three major sections: Getting Through, Stepping Up, and Moving Forward, this wisdom-laden, uplifting book is full of practical tips to help readers overcome what life hurls at them. If I have to describe this book in only one word, I'd say "home", because it is something that I will return to again and again... It is a place where you can feel comfort, consolation, and reassurance when life feels harsh, menacing, or hostile. Thank you for writing such a much-needed and incredibly impactful book, Dr Radha! Know Your Own Power by Dr Radha Modgil is a flawless victory!

Have you read Know Your Own Power? What are your thoughts about this book? Share your opinion in the comment section below!

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Earthen Lamps – Book Review

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Earthen Lamps: 60 Parables and Anecdotes to Light Up Your Heart

by Osho

Invaluable Source of Wisdom

It is no surprise at all that Osho is called "the master of masters". His words are mind-blowingly insightful and ethereally heartwarming, flowing deep into the very soul of man. Earthen Lamps is the third book by him that I've read. It consists of 60 stories recounted by the eccentric mystic which will lead you to reach godliness. If you have a thirst for knowing the essence of life, I heartily recommend this book. Osho naman~ 🙏🏻

Have you read Earthen Lamps? What do you think about this book? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!

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Life Is a Soap Bubble – Book Review

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Life Is a Soap Bubble: 100 Ways to Look at Life

by Osho

An outstandingly beautiful gem crafted by a life master!

Osho is such an indescribable individual. Life Is a Soap Bubble is a book consisting of 100 letters, originally written to his disciple Yoga Sohan, about the very life all of us are in. The wonderfully magical words in these letters will penetrate into the innermost part of your being, waking you up to the reality of life and priming you for the ultimate unleashing of your own potential. I couldn't agree more with llarod r hernaiz's words in their Amazon review of this fundamentally transformative book: "Osho has a special way to take you to the center." Suffused with the Indian mystic's timeless wisdom and incomparable poetry, Life Is a Soap Bubble by Osho is a must-read for those seeking to live their lives to the fullest.

Have you read Life Is a Soap Bubble? What is your opinion about this book? Share what you think in the comment section below!

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The Book of Understanding – Book Review

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The Book of Understanding: Creating Your Own Path to Freedom

by Osho

Warning: If you are not open-minded or cannot resist taking offense, do NOT read this book.

The Book of Understanding by Osho is certainly one of the most mind-boggling and thought-provoking books I've ever read. The Indian mystic gracefully explains what understanding really is in lyrical language of his own style. The concept of "Zorba the Buddha" is absolutely fascinating, but this book is much, much, much more than that. Brilliant. Eye-opening. Electrifying. Powerful. Moving. All the same, it doesn't necessarily mean I agree with all of his points. I am completely sure, though, that it is quite impossible to finish reading The Book of Understanding by Osho without taking something home.

Unfortunately, due to local circumstances, I cannot fully express my view on the self-development book in this blog. If you are interested to know more of my thoughts, I would be more than happy to discuss The Book of Understanding by Osho with you personally.

Have you read The Book of Understanding? What is your opinion of this book? Share what you think in the comment section below!

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It's Not the End of the World

The title of this article is a cool-sounding English idiom that is used to assure someone that a "problem is not as bad as they think" (Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English Online). This expression is efficacious at executing its task because it 'intelligently' compares one's predicament with the worst possible of all: Doomsday. The fact that this can be found in major dictionaries is a testament to its effectiveness as a lexical item. Nonetheless, something in it has tickled my philosophical mind.

What if it IS the end of the world? Imagine the earth is on the verge of being pummeled by an asteroid vastly larger than the one wiping out non-avian dinosaurs. Or some sort of zombie apocalypse being underway, slowly but surely exterminating our very own species, Homo sapiens. These are highly hypothetical, but scientifically speaking, we are on a trajectory toward the inevitable demise that is patiently awaiting us far, far away temporally. Facing such a potentially petrifying reality, what should we do? I turn to Stoicism for the answer.

The ancient philosophy provides us with a potent tool for achieving a sense of inner peace: amor fati. This Latin expression translates as 'a love of fate', which is self-explanatory. This Stoic practice teaches us to love whatever happens, getting rid of the mental resistance that is only holding us back in life. Sh*t happens (and coprolites happened): this is the reality of life. We need to wholeheartedly embrace our fate, accepting that it is the best that could have happened and harboring no regrets whatsoever. Stoic philosopher Epictetus encapsulates amor fati brilliantly: “Do not seek for things to happen the way you want them to; rather, wish that what happens happen the way it happens: then you will be happy.“ Practicing amor fati makes it possible for you to experience the fullness of happiness and ataraxia.

Ergo, whether it is the end of the world or not the end of the world doesn't matter. Let's just devote our time, energy, and attention to the present moment, making the most of we currently have with love, passion, and gratitude. I would like to end this article with a profoundly mindset-changing quote on death from the doyen of science communication, Richard Dawkins:

We are going to die, and that makes us the lucky ones. Most people are never going to die because they are never going to be born. The potential people who could have been here in my place but who will in fact never see the light of day outnumber the sand grains of Arabia. Certainly those unborn ghosts include greater poets than Keats, scientists greater than Newton. We know this because the set of possible people allowed by our DNA so massively exceeds the set of actual people. In the teeth of these stupefying odds it is you and I, in our ordinariness, that are here. We privileged few, who won the lottery of birth against all odds, how dare we whine at our inevitable return to that prior state from which the vast majority have never stirred?

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Level Up – Book Review

Hardback version of Level Up by Rob Dial
Photo taken at Periplus Mall Kelapa Gading, Jakarta

Level Up: Get Focused, Stop Procrastinating and Upgrade Your Life

by Rob Dial

My life has been pretty good so far and I'm positive that I'm not the idlest or the least productive person in the world. Nevertheless, before deciding to masticate this book, I felt that I could be a better version of myself, realizing the full potential that the universe had bestowed upon this earthling. When there is room for improvement, it's time to act, isn't it? The next question is "Why this book?" I'm not usually a self-development-book–reader kind of guy, but, as far as I can remember, podcaster and coach Rob Dial has always hooked me on his intellectual charm ever since I found him (I think it was on Facebook). This explains why I've been propelled to diving into the mindset guru's writing for my personal growth and I'm glad I did.

If I had to describe Level Up: Get Focused, Stop Procrastinating and Upgrade Your Life by Rob Dial in a nutshell, it would be "cheat sheets for a better life". This book wonderfully presents the grand recipe for success in fewer than 250 pages, and the author deserves infinite plaudits for that (this is not an exaggeration). From Level Up, I have gained a massive number of insights into self-improvement: the way our fear robs us of our opportunities to grow (pun sort of intended), the pernicious nature of distraction (which has prompted me to turn off some social media notifications), how to establish discipline, and so on and so forth. Anything that is scientifically backed trumps those which aren't, and that's a huge part of why Level Up is outstandingly good. This book is laden with science and there is a chapter devoted to discussing neuroplasticity, which the author defines as "the brain's ability to form and reorganize synaptic connections, especially in response to learning or experience" (p. 196). Rob is an eloquent writer and it is a great pleasure to read his writing. You may find some of what he wrote somewhat repetitive, but I think it's fine because we often need to be reminded over and over when it comes to personal development. To end this paragraph, I'd like to say that Level Up is one of the most helpful books I've ever read in my life. Simply brilliant and fascinating read on the subject.

If you feel stuck in your life, are frustrated with your progress, or simply aiming to become a better person, Level Up is the right book for you. Grab it fast, level up, and achieve your goals!

Have you read Level Up? How did you find the book? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below!

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